Understand HEInnovate & the 8 Dimensions
Get an overview of the HEInnovate framework and its eight dimensions. These resources help you grasp the core principles of HEInnovate and provide clear explanations of each dimension.
Each statement in the self-assessment has a corresponding guidance note. These notes explain what the statement is looking at and provide examples of how institutions can address it.
These reports analyse the higher education system of a specific country through the lens of the HEInnovate framework. They were conducted by the OECD in partnership with the European Commission between 2015 and 2021.
Get inspired by other HEIs
Learn from the experiences of higher education institutions across Europe. Explore case studies that showcase diverse practices and provide inspiration across the eight HEInnovate dimensions. Find testimonials that illustrate how institutions are using HEInnovate in practice. Discover real-life lessons and outcomes.
You can view and download case studies that showcase different institutional approaches and good practices along the eight dimensions of HEInnovate.
Read about the different uses and experiences of higher education institutions using the HEinnovate framework. The user stories also highlight lessons learnt and results achieved.
Implement HEInnovate in your institution
Support for you and your institution to work with the HEInnovate framework in a structured, collaborative way. Workshop Guides and Training Materials help you plan, deliver, and follow up on workshops of all sizes.
A comprehensive guide to HEInnovate. It explains the features of the website, how to set up groups, and describes three types of workshops you can run.
Short chapters from the Training Manual with focused advice on how to run different types of workshops, set the agenda, and decide whom to invite.
Turn insights into action
Transform your HEInnovate results into practical next steps. These tools help institutions prioritise actions, engage teams, and move from assessment to implementation, to ensure continuous, meaningful improvement.
Concise cards summarising practical actions aligned with each HEInnovate dimension. Use them to spark discussions and identify priorities.
Visual tools and worksheets to document goals, map short- to long-term actions, and organise activities into work packages. Includes the Action Planning Board, Work Package Planning Board, and Action Sheet.
All resources
Digital tools and practices are drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship. An HEI should understand, explore, and promote new ways of working based on digital-first thinking. A well-functioning digital culture balances top-down leadership with bottom-up innovation. This includes a coherent and shared strategy and action plan, allocating resources...
The University of Kassel is a public higher education institution located in the city of Kassel in the state of Hesse in the centre of Germany. It was founded in 1971 with the ambition to drive innovative concepts for practice-oriented teaching and learning as well as interdisciplinary work. As of the winter semester 2016/17, the University has 25...
Higher education institutions (HEIs) play a critical role in our societies. They provide the high-level skills needed for the modern economy, assist talented young people to transition into employment, generate and disseminate knowledge and innovation, and work together with business, government and civil society to promote economic and social...
The Gdansk University of Technology2 (GUT) was established in 1945 in Gdansk; it succeeded the technical university founded in 1904.3 Gdansk is a port city in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea coast and one of the largest business, economic, cultural and scientific centres in Poland. Named in honour of the 17th and 18th century scientists who lived...
European higher education systems increasingly have to change the way they operate due to the revolution in information and communication technologies, the financial crisis, global competition and pressure on budgets. One of the most significant changes in response to these challenges has been the development, both in concept and practice, of the...
Internationalisation of a higher education institution covers a very broad range of activities. Internationalisation can influence all aspects of a HEI, from the design and delivery of education, to research activities and relationships with the external environment, to knowledge exchange. Internationalisation should be understood as a catalyst and...
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can act as gatekeepers to the knowledge and technology emerging from ongoing research, and have a significant role in its diffusion. To effectively disseminate such research requires enterprising individuals and ad-hoc mechanisms that enable transfer, application and exchange of knowledge and technology with the...
The University of Utrecht, founded in 1636, has taken concrete actions to change internal systems, and research approach and increase its societal impact. These actions have changed and rationalised the University’s approach to research in four broad themes - Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences, Sustainability - that...
The Hague University of Applied Sciences with approximately 24 000 students from more than 146 nationalities is a using a hands-on research centre to drive education practice. The team delivering entrepreneurship at The Hague University of Applied Sciences is diverse with breadth and depth of experience that extends significantly beyond...
The core mission of the Technical University of Delft is to develop scientists and engineers, who have a genuine commitment to society, who can translate knowledge into technological innovations with both economic and social value. The City of Delft wants professionals, and new companies, to come and make their home in and around Delft. As the...
Our higher education institutions play a critical role in the development of Ireland’s economy and its innovation system. The output and impact of these institutions, both individually and collectively, is central to the achievement of our ambition to sustain national and regional economic growth and build a fair and compassionate society. Ireland...
This case study shows how two of Ireland’s higher education institutions, the University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology have come together at the most senior leadership and governance levels to address issues of regional development and the sharing of services between the institutions.
This case study shows how one of Ireland’s 14 Institutes of Technology, the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, which brands itself ITT Dublin (ITTD), has established itself as a highly performing institution in respect of knowledge exchange and collaboration with internal staff and students and external commercial and non-commercial stakeholders.
Across Europe and the wider OECD area there are growing signs of a transformation of the 'traditional' model of a university, which focuses its efforts on teaching and research, towards an innovative and entrepreneurial higher education institution(HEI),which is designed to empower students and staff to demonstrate enterprise, innovation and...